Depression: How to Care for Your Teen

Depression is a sad or bad mood that lasts for weeks, months, or even longer. Treatment usually can help depression get better. You can help and support your teen during treatment.

• Make sure your teen takes any prescribed medicines as directed.

• If your teen takes medicines, watch for side effects. Very rarely, some medicines for depression can make symptoms worse or lead to suicidal thoughts or actions. If you notice your teen's symptoms getting worse or you're worried they may hurt themselves, call your health care provider right away.

• Make an appointment with a psychiatrist (mental health doctor), therapist, or counselor as instructed by your health care provider.

Show your teen you want to help:

• Talk with your teen about sadness and depression. Your teen may not know why they are so sad or why things feel so hard. Tell your teen often that you are there for support, whenever they need you.

• Show your love. Depending on what your teen is comfortable with, this might mean giving them a hug, spending time together, or listening to their feelings. Listen, comfort, offer your support, and show love.

• Be gentle. Parents of teens with depression sometimes mistake the depression for not trying, especially because depression can lead to problems at school. Your teen may not be interested in school or other activities or might eat or sleep more than usual, but they're not doing this on purpose. Be understanding if your teen doesn't have the energy to get out of bed, finish chores, or do homework.

• Some simple things can improve mood and well-being. Encourage your teen to:

  • Eat healthy foods.

  • Get 8–10 hours of sleep a night.

  • Get plenty of physical activity every day — walk, play a sport, or do anything that gets them moving.

  • Spend time outdoors in nature if possible.

  • Take time to relax.

  • Practice yoga or meditation.

  • Spend time with positive people who care about them.

• Help with problem-solving. Bullying, teasing, or other social problems may trouble your teen. Come up with possible solutions together (for example, ways to deal with a bully and ways to manage social media).

• Your teen's mood does not improve or gets worse.

• You think your teen may be physically hurting themselves on purpose.

• You're worried that your teen is using alcohol or drugs. Depressed teens are more likely to use alcohol and/or drugs than their peers.

• Your teen gets better, but then starts to seem depressed again.

• Your teen shows any warning signs that they may be thinking about suicide, such as:

  • talking or writing about suicide or death to you or anyone else

  • talking about feeling hopeless

  • hinting that they may not be around for long

  • giving away their things

  • engaging in risky behavior (for example, drinking alcohol, taking drugs, or driving too fast)

You are worried that your teen will try to commit suicide (end their life) or they have talked about a specific plan for suicide.

You or your teen also can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.

What causes depression? Different things can lead to depression. There is no single cause. Some people are more likely to get depression because it runs in their family. They may have other family members who have been depressed.

Some people get depressed after going through loss, trauma, health problems, or other hardships. Sometimes it's not clear what led to the depression.

What are the symptoms of depression? Symptoms of depression can include: 

• feelings of sadness, irritability, hopelessness, guilt, or worthlessness

• feeling tired or having little energy

• changes in appetite or sleep habits

• trouble concentrating or making decisions

• thoughts of death or suicide

• loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed

• not wanting to be around friends or family

• moving or speaking so slowly that other people have noticed

• being restless and moving around a lot more than usual

Some teens with depression do not seem sad to their parents or other adults — they simply seem much more irritable or angrier than usual. If asked, they might not describe themselves as feeling sad or down.

Depression can last for a short time or go on for a long time, and can be mild or severe. It's important to treat depression when it happens.

How is depression treated? Depression can be treated with medicine, therapy, or both together. Therapy is when someone talks to a therapist about their feelings and learns skills to feel better. Some behavioral health providers have special training to work with teens who have depression.